the higher education system celebrates the 60th …...stabilized and decelerated over the last few...

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The Higher Education System Celebrates the 60th

Anniversary of the Council for Higher Education

and 70 Years of Academic Excellence

The Major Accomplishments of the Israeli Higher Education System:

OECD Ranking - Israel ranks second in the world in tertiary attainment among 25-64-

year-olds

From a multiyear perspective - The number of students enrolled in an institution of higher

education in Israel has become increasingly stable

From a multiyear perspective - The number of students enrolled in a graduate program

has increased

The national plan to boost hi-tech programs:

A. Engineering is now the largest program of study in Israel for the first time.

B. One of every four students enrolled in a program of higher education in Israel studies

engineering or computer science.

Making higher education more accessible to the socioeconomic periphery - More than

45,000 bachelor’s degree students (27%) come from towns located in low socioeconomic

clusters (Clusters 1-4), which is significantly higher than the overall percentage of the

population living in these towns (19.6%)

The revolution in making higher education accessible to the Arab sector - The

designated goal was achieved three years earlier than originally planned

The vision of the new campus - A transition to active and digital learning

More powerful research - Budgets, academic publications, and procuring research

grants

COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION العالي التعليم مجلس | המועצה להשכלה גבוהה |

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Planning & Budgeting Committee | הוועדה לתכנון ותקצוב

A. Significant increase in research grant budget - investment of approximately NIS 1.5

billion a year

B. Multiyear plan for the establishment and upgrade of research infrastructure

C. Boosting of flagship research programs - placing Israel at the frontier of international

expertise

D. Procuring research grants and putting out academic publications - significant increases

from a multiyear view

Budgeting and Planning Committee Chairwoman Professor Yaffa Zilbershats: "The Israeli higher

education system has been making tremendous strides forward. The OECD ranked Israel second in the world

in academic education among 25-64-year-olds along with impressive achievements in the spheres of hi-tech

and in making academia more accessible to the Arab sector. There has been a significant increase in

investments in research and in the number of academic publications. In addition, we will launch the vision of

'the new campus' this year, which will create a new and improved academic experience through digital and

active learning while also facilitating collaboration between academia and industry."

Council for Higher Education Deputy Chairman Professor Ido Perlman: "The Israeli higher education

system is characterized by academic excellence in research and instruction along with the accessibility of

academia to broad swaths of society while providing support and assistance to students. Academia is the

engine of Israeli society. As such, it will continue to lead the State of Israel in the years to come to impressive

achievements in the sciences and will work to integrate all strata of society into the fields of industry and

research, with an emphasis on gender, the socioeconomic periphery, and special populations."

The 2018-2019 school year will mark the 60th anniversary of the Council for Higher Education and 70 years

of Israeli academic excellence. In 1948, there were about 1,600 university students in Israel in three

universities: The Technion, Hebrew University, and the Weizmann Institute. Since then, over the past 70

years, the Israeli academic system has grown significantly and now includes 62 institutions of higher

education: 8 research universities, the Open University, 20 publicly funded colleges, 12 private colleges, and

21 teachers' colleges. The higher education budget is NIS 11.5 billion, the highest budget allocation since the

establishment of the state.


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1. OECD Ranking: Israel ranks second in the world in terms of the number of academics

with post-secondary education among 25-64-year-olds.

The most recently published OECD report 1 (September 2018) ranked Israel in second place in the world (after

Canada) in the percentage of native citizens ages 25-64 who have post-secondary and academic education

(48.5%).

The OECD Report: The Percentage of Academicians with Post-Secondary and

Higher Education Among 25-64-Year-Olds

1 EDUCATION AT A GLANCE, 2018

53%

49% 48%

43%

36%34%

30%

20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

קנדה ישראל ב"ארה אירלנד צרפת OECDממוצע גרמניה Italy Germany OECD Average France Ireland USA Israel Canadaאיטליה


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Multiyear Perspective - The Number of Students Enrolled in a Higher Education

Program in Israel: The number of students enrolled per year in a higher education

program has become stable though there has been a slight decline in the number of

undergraduate students. This is primarily for demographic reasons as the growth rate of

the relevant age bracket has decelerated.

Estimates expect 306,600 students to be enrolled in institutions of higher education in Israel in 2018-2019,

including: 230,800 undergraduate students, 63,400 secondary-degree students, 11,400 doctoral students, and

1,000 certificate (associate degree) students2. Over the years, the growing demand for higher education has

brought about far-reaching changes in the structure of the Israeli higher education system, which has seen a

more than 300% increase in the number of students enrolled in undergraduate studies since the early of the

1990s (when many new colleges were founded in Israel). However, after experiencing growth in the number

of students enrolled in a higher education program each year over a long period of time, the numbers have

stabilized and decelerated over the last few years (with about 300,000 students now enrolled across the board

for all degrees). This phenomenon can be explained by the maturation of the system, which has relied overall

on a steady number of eligible individuals taking the matriculation exams and in particular on those among

said group meeting the universities' admission requirements, and by the demographic changes shown by the

growth rate of the age bracket encompassing those most likely to enroll in institutions of higher education3.

Multiyear Perspective - An Increase in the Number of Students Enrolled in a

Graduate Program

The increase in the number of advanced degree students also continued in the 2017-2018 school year: An

analysis of the data shows that since the start of the 21st century, the number of secondary-degree students has

nearly doubled. Data shows that in the 2017-2018 school year, 60,355 students were enrolled in a secondary-

degree program versus just 30,915 in 2000. The trend was similar for doctoral degree programs, as 11,350

students were enrolled in such programs in the 2017-2018 school year versus just 6,650 in the year 2000.

2 The numbers forecasted include those enrolled at the Open University. 3 The student data appearing in this report was taken from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics in cooperation with and under the guidance of the Council for Higher Education's Planning and Budgeting Committee.


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Multiyear Perspective - Students by Degree

1947-

1948

1979-

1980

1989-

1990

1999-

2000

2009-

2010

2016-

2017

2017-

2018

Forecast

for

2018-

2019

Total 1,600 67,155 88,495 204,040 289,940 307,780 306,440 306,600

Bachelor’s Degree - 53,350 67,810 164,360 227,900 232,510 230,895 230,800

Master’s Degree - 9,960 16,155 31,340 50,270 62,960 63,155 63,400

Doctoral Degree - 2,905 3,765 6,650 10,570 11,000 11,350 11,400

Certificate/Associate

Degree

- 940 765 1,690 1,200 1,310 1,040 1,000

A review of the ratio of undergraduate students to educational institutions shows that until the beginning of

the 1990s, most students enrolled in a higher education program (85%) studied at a university. Since then,

there have been significant changes in the structure of the higher education system and by the start of the 21st

century, only about half of undergraduate students studied at a university. Over the course of the last decade,

parallel to the growth of colleges, the Council for Higher Education and the Planning and Budgeting

Committee encouraged a policy of transferring academic tracks in budgeted universities from being the

academic responsibility of the universities to complete independence on the part of the colleges, a process that

naturally increased the percentage of students in budgeted colleges.


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A Multiyear Perspective - Undergraduate Students According to Institution Type

Total -

Absolute

Numbers

Total -

Percentages

Universities –

Main Campus

Academic

Tracks for

which

Universities are

Responsible

Colleges

Budgeted

Academies

Non-

Budgeted

Academic

Colleges

Academic

Teacher

Colleges

1989-1990 55,250 100.0 85.0 - 3.4 3.0 8.6

1994-1995 86,320 100.0 72.8 4.5 5.0 5.9 11.7

1999-2000 126,800 100.0 52.7 5.7 13.8 12.5 15.2

2004-2005 155,900 100.0 44.8 5.5 21.6 13.7 14.4

2009-2010 178,400 100.0 37.2 4.8 28.2 18.5 11.3

2014-2015 191,690 100.0 33.8 3.2 30.8 19.4 12.8

2015-2016 191,615 100.0 38.8 2.2 26.9 19.0 13.1

2016-2017 191,240 100.0 38.9 1.2 28.4 18.1 13.4

2017-2018 189,845 100.0 39.1 0.3 29.4 18.0 13.2

Multiyear View – Development of Institutions of Higher Education*

* As of 2016/17, Ariel is now included among universities and has been removed from the budgeted colleges

Academic Teacher Colleges Non-budgeted Colleges Budgeted Colleges Universities


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Multiyear View – An Increase in Senior Staff at Universities

The number of senior academic staff members in universities has increased by approximately 40% since the

1989-1990 academic year, from approximately 3900 staff members (FTE)4 to approximately 5400 during the

2017-2018 academic year. Nevertheless, in the decade between the 1999-2000 academic year and the 2009-

2010 academic year, there has been a significant decrease in the number of staff members, parallel to the

significant increase in the number of students in the educational system. As part of the Planning and Budgeting

Committee’s multiyear plan for the 2010-2011 through 2015-2016 academic years, emphasis was placed on

recruiting a young and excelling academic staff, and the number of staff members has again begun to increase,

albeit relatively slowly. As of the 2016-2017 academic year, Ariel University is included in the university

staff statistics.

Source: Until the 2014-2015 academic year, human resources reports according to budgetary unit. As of the 2016-

2017 academic year, the January mean salaries report.

Comments: 1. Ordinary budget staff data at full time equivalent (FTE) include staff on sabbatical in Israel and on a

research track, and without pension.

4Full Time Equivalent.

3,884

4,303

4,6064,688 4,638

4,331 4,315

4,832

5,426

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

5,500Senior Academic Staff (FTE) at Research Universities, by

Year


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2. As of the 2016-2017 academic year, the data includes Ariel University (approximately 365 positions in

2016-2017 and approximately 391 positions in 2017-2018).

Women Constitute Approximately 60% of Students in Academia

Women made up about 59% of the student body in 2017-2018 after a significant increase in female enrollment,

primarily during the 1990s. Women make up the majority of students pursuing each of the following degrees:

Bachelor’s degrees - 58%, master’s degrees - 63%, and doctoral degrees - 53%. The percentage of women

among those pursuing a bachelor’s degree has continued to rise over the last few years from about 55% in

2009-2010, primarily as a result of the increase in the percentage of women's enrollment at colleges (from

49% in 2009-2010 to 57% in 2017-2018). The percentage of women in universities decreased from 55% in

2009-2010 to 53% in 2017-2018.

There has been an impressive increase in women's enrollment in advanced degree programs over the years.

The percentage of women among those pursuing a master’s degree crossed the 50% mark and reached 63%

in 2017-2018. The increase in women's enrollment stems from the fact that colleges have begun to offer

master’s degree programs in which the number of women enrolled has increased to a point that is higher than

their percentage of enrollment at universities, which has stabilized over the last few years. In 2017-2018, the

percentages were 65% and 58%, respectively. The percentage of women among students pursuing a doctoral

degree crossed the 50% mark for the first time at the end of the 1990s and has stabilized at 53% over the last

few years.

Multiyear Perspective - An increase in the percentage of women in academia

1989-1990 1999-2000 2009-

2010

2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Bachelor’s

Degree

53.6 57.4 54.8 57.5 57.9 58.1

Master’s

Degree

50.3 57.8 58.4 61.9 62.5 62.7

Doctoral

Degree

41.3 51.1 52.7 52.6 52.6 52.8


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Women Are the Minority in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

At the same time, the integration of women in bachelor’s degree and consequently in advanced degree

programs in the STEM disciplines has been insufficient. Council for Higher Education figures show that

although half those taking the highest level of matriculation exams in math are women; the percentage of

women pursuing degrees in the fields relevant to the hi-tech world is lower and stood at 25% in 2016-2017.

Consequently, women make up just 26% of those employed in the hi-tech industry.

As a result, the Planning and Budgeting Committee approved a series of incentives meant to encourage the

admission of women to programs in these disciplines in the next academic year, 2018-2019.

From a Multiyear Perspective - The percentage of women enrolled by discipline and

degree for the 2017-2018 academic year

Bachelor’s

Degree

Master’s

Degree

Doctoral

Degree

Total 58.1 62.7 52.8

Paramedical Studies 82.2 87.0 81.7

Educational and Instructional

Training

79.6 82.7 79.5

Social Sciences 69.1 70.6 62.4

Biological Sciences 68.7 66.6 60.0

Architecture 67.5 57.0 57.0

Humanities 63.3 58.8 53.2

Medicine 60.1 54.6 -

Business Administration and

Management

59.8 54.2 53.7

Law 52.5 56.1 49.4

Agriculture 51.7 57.4 47.4

Physical Science 38.5 35.2 37.4

Mathematics, Statistics, and

Computer Science 33.0 26.7 24.2

Engineering 28.5 26.2 31.0

*Students pursuing a doctoral degree in medicine have been included in biological sciences.


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The gender equality plan to increase women's representation among faculty:

While taking steps to encourage women to pursue disciplines of study in the field of hi-tech, the Planning and

Budgeting Committee and the Council for Higher Education have also been working to increase the

representation of women among faculty at institutions of higher education and have made a series of decisions

to move the issue forward in accordance with the recommendations of the teams led by Professor Rivka Carmi,

the president of Ben-Gurion University since 2011, and by Professor Ruth Arnon, the president of the Israel

Academy of Sciences since 2013. The plan for "gender equality" represents the principles laid out by the

Council for Higher Education to advance women to senior faculty positions and is based on the

recommendations of the Arnon Committee, which focused on raising awareness about gender equality at

institutions of higher education and on the recruitment and advancement of women to serve as academic

faculty, particularly in disciplines that have a low percentage of female representation, such as the sciences

and the various fields of engineering.

Scholarships for women who excel in post-doctoral studies in the sum of up to US $80,000 (for two

years)

Scholarships for women pursuing a doctorate in hi-tech disciplines in the sum of NIS 150,000 (for

three years) and scholarships for women pursuing master’s degrees in hi-tech disciplines in the sum of

NIS 80,000 (for two years)

Prizes in the sum of NIS 1 million a year for institutions that excel in the advancement and

implementation of gender equality

A budget allocated specifically for work done by advisors to the president of the gender equality

committee at institutions of higher education

2. The hi-tech studies revolution - Engineering is the largest academic program in Israel

for the first time ever

There are more engineering students (34,660) than social sciences students

(34,030) for the first time

There has been a dramatic increase in math and computer science students

There are more than 50,000 students, one of every four students, enrolled in

engineering or computer science programs in Israel


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Impressive achievement in the implementation of the national program to boost the fields of engineering

and hi-tech: Data from the 2017-2018 academic year shows that engineering is the most popular discipline

pursued by bachelor’s degree students in Israel (34,660 students, comprising 18.3%).

Engineering has surpassed social sciences in popularity (34,030 students, comprising 17.9%), which was

considered the most popular field of study in Israel. There has also been a dramatic increase of about 50% in

the study of math and computer science with 15,553 students in 2017-2018 versus 10,434 students in 2011-

2012. This means that one of every four students in Israel studied engineering or computer science in the past

year (50,214 students of a total of 189,845 undergraduate students).

Concurrently, there has been a sharp decrease in enrollment in the fields of law and business

administration, which were in very high demand at the start of the decade. Data shows that enrollment in the

study of law decreased from 16,446 students in 2011-2012 to 13,168 students in 2017-2018. Enrollment in

the study of business administration decreased from 22,654 students in 2011-2012 to 18,401 students in 2017-

2018.

Hundreds of millions of shekels in incentives for hi-tech

We would like to emphasize that due to the multiyear plan to boost the fields of hi-tech and in light of a

government resolution on the matter, the Planning and Budgeting Committee allocated hundreds of millions

of shekels in incentives for academic institutions toward student admission, faculty members, and the

construction and upgrade of research and educational infrastructure.

The Council for Higher Education believes that the trend will continue to grow in upcoming years as well,

with many students now being admitted to hi-tech programs who had previously been denied due to

restrictions on the number of students allowed in to these programs even though they were otherwise eligible.


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Multiyear Perspective - An analysis of bachelor’s degree students by discipline

2006-

2007

2014-

2015

2015-

2016

2016-

2017

2017-

2018

Total - Percentages 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Engineering 16.6 17.0 17.4 18.1 18.3

Mathematics, Statistics, and

Computer Science

4.7 6.5 6.7

7.3 8.2

Humanities 9.5 6.9 6.2 5.8 5.9

Teaching and Instructional Training 14.4 15.5 16.1 17.0 17.0

Art and Design 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.1

Social Sciences 21.9 19.6 19.2 18.6 17.9

Business Administration and

Management

8.8 10.9 9.9

9.8 9.7

Law 9.4 8.3 8.5 7.2 6.9

Medicine 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1

Paramedical Studies 4.7 6.0 6.5 6.5 6.5

Physical Science 1.8 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4

Biological Sciences 3.2 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.5

Agriculture 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5

Architecture 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0

Comments:

A. The data does not include those studying at The Open University.

B. Engineering includes the following disciplines: electrical engineering, computer engineering and programming,

information systems engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering,

and other forms of engineering.

Comprehensive multiyear plan to boost the humanities at scope of NIS 100 million

Meanwhile, the decrease in the those enrolled in study of the humanities continues. In the next few months,

the Council for Higher Education is expected to decide on a comprehensive multiyear plan to boost the

humanities at universities with a budget allocation of about NIS 100 million. The purpose of these budget

allocations includes the encouragement of research, the development of new academic programs, and the

promotion of programs that combine the humanities with other disciplines.


Page | 13


The program, which will soon be submitted for approval to the Council for Higher Education, includes

financial incentives given to universities encouraging students to enroll in programs that combine the

humanities with other academic tracks, including hi-tech, life sciences, and social sciences.

19,313

19,100

16,978

24,793

41,943

34,030

6,762

22,654

18,401

9,932

16,446

13,168 10,849

10,434

15,553

32,207 34,661

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

שת

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שעת

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שעת

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Bachelors' degree students by selected fields of study, 1999 - 2018

מדעי הרוח ומקצועות האומנות והעיצוב מדעי החברה

עסקים ומדעי הניהול משפטים

מתמטיקה סטטיסטיקה ומדעי המחשב לימודי הנדסה

20

14

/15

20

16

/17

20

15

/16

20

07

/08

20

13

/14

20

12

/13

20

11

/12

20

10

/11

20

09

/10

20

08

/09

20

17

/18

20

06

/07

20

05

/06

20

04

/05

20

03

/04

20

02

/03

20

01

/02

20

00

/01

19

99

/20

00

Social Sciences

Law

Engineering

Humanities, Art, and Design

Business and Management

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science


Page | 14


3. Making higher education more accessible to the socioeconomic periphery - more than

45,000 students came from towns comprising lower socioeconomic clusters (Clusters 1-

4).

The sharp increase in the number of students over the last few decades is also manifest in significant

achievements in the expansion of accessibility to higher education among those who live in the socioeconomic

periphery and among weaker segments of the population. The Central Bureau of Statistics conducted a special

analysis for us of the socioeconomic status of the student’s town when the student was in 12th grade.

Data showed that in 2017-2018, more than 45,000 students, 28.2% of all bachelor’s degree students, came

from towns consisting of lower socioeconomic clusters (clusters 1-4) and that this percentage was significantly

higher than the segment of the population living in these towns, which was 19.6%. The percentage of this

category of bachelor’s degree students at colleges funded by the Budgetary and Planning Committee was even

higher, standing at 33.4%.

Bachelor’s degree students by type of institution and socioeconomic cluster of 12th-

grade students' town, 2017-2018

Total -

Number

of

Decided

Students

5

Total -

Percent

ages 6

1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

Total Bachelor’s Degree

Students 164,870 100.0% 7.5% 20.7% 25.5% 40.7% 2.7%

Universities - Main Campuses 74,145 100.0% 7.0% 19.8% 22.0% 45.0% 3.4%

Colleges Budgeted by the

Committee for Budgeting and

Planning

56,530 100.0% 9.7% 23.7% 30.8% 31.3% 1.9%

Non-Budgeted Colleges 34,195 100.0% 7.2% 19.6% 22.7% 43.6% 2.5%

5Chart does not include those enrolled at The Open University and at teachers' colleges. 6Also includes unknown


Page | 15


The development of the college system brought about a significant increase in the number of

students enrolled in academic institutions in Israel's north and south.

In 2017-2018, about 24% of bachelor’s degree students were enrolled at academic institutions in Israel's

northern and southern regions (9.8% in the north and 14.5% in the south) versus just 9% enrolled in the south

in 1999-2000. The number of students enrolled in the north grew nearly threefold as compared with the

beginning of the previous decade, primarily due to the expansion of existing programs at the colleges in the

north and the opening of new academic programs. This significant change in the map of higher education in

Israel, which took place over the last two decades, would not have been possible without the necessary

budgetary resources being allocated to these two periphery regions.

Multiyear Perspective - Bachelor’s degree students by institution's regional location

1989-

1990

1999-

2000

2009-

2010

2016-

2017

2017-

2018

Total - Absolute

Numbers

55,250 126,900 178,415 191,915 189,845

Total - Percentages 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Jerusalem 22.7 15.5 13.4 13.7 13.7

North .. 5.3 9.2 9.7 9.8

Haifa 21.7 17.9 13.9 13.4 12.4

Center 4.1 15.9 17.4 17.6 17.8

Tel Aviv 42.8 31.5 30.8 31.2 31.8

South 8.7 13.9 15.3 14.3 14.5


Page | 16


4. Making higher education accessible to special populations:

A. The revolution in making higher education accessible to the Arab sector - The

number of students was doubled, and the target was achieved three years ahead of

schedule.

Within a decade, the number of Arab students doubled from 22,543 (2007-2008) to

48,627 (2017-2018)

Bachelor’s degree - An increase of 82% in the number of students

Master’s degree - An increase of 228% in the number of students

Doctoral students - An increase of 114% in the number of students

From a multiyear perspective - Integration of Arab students in the higher education

system

Note: The percentage is that of the ratio of Arab students of those studying for the same type of degree.

9.7% 10.3% 9.8% 10.0% 10.8% 11.3% 12.2% 13.1% 14.3% 15.2% 16.1% 17%

5.8%6.1% 6.2% 6.5%

7.9%8.7%

9.0%9.8%

10.3%11.3%

13.0%14%

3.5%3.5% 3.7% 3.9%

4.3%4.4%

4.8%5.2%

5.7%5.7%

6.3%6.7%

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

ז"תשס ח"תשס ט"תשס ע"תש א"תשע ב"תשע ג"תשע ד"תשע ה"תשע ו"תשע ז"תשע ח"תשע

תואר שלישי תואר שני תואר ראשון

22,531 25,951 29,046 31,157 34,225 37,217 40,351 43,516 46,332 48,62722,543 24,377

Doctoral Degree

2017/182016/172015/162014/152013/142012/132011/122010/112009/102008/092007/082006/07

Undergraduate Degree Graduate Degree


Page | 17


Impressive achievement for the higher education system overall and for the Arab sector in particular -

The new multiyear plan for 2017 through 2022 set goals for expanding the Arab sector's representation in higher

education for the 2022 academic year. The goal was set in accordance with their percentage of the population.

Bachelor’s degree - The goal was 17% (goal achieved)

Master’s degree - The goal was 12% (actual percentage was 14% - surpassing the goal)

Doctoral degree - The goal was 7% (close to the actual goal at 6.7%)

Data showed that 22,543 Arab students were enrolled in all academic tracks in 2007. Thanks to the support

given to the students, the number of those enrolled doubled within a decade so that there were 48,627 Arab

students in Israel in 2017-2018. The sharp increases helped the Council for Higher Education meet most of its

goals for making higher education more accessible to the Arab sector this year, which was three years earlier

than originally planned.

Data from 2007 shows that just 21,534 Arab students had been pursuing a bachelor’s degree and that they

constituted a mere 10% of all bachelor’s degree students in Israel. A total of 39,160 Arab students were enrolled

in bachelor’s degree programs ten years later in 2017, making up 17% of all bachelor’s degree students - goal

achieved.

There was an increase of 228% in the number of Arab master’s degree students over the last decade. There were

only 2,654 Arab students in Israel in 2007, making up a mere 6% of all master’s degree students. The number

of master’s students grew to 8,708 in 2017, making up 14% of all master’s degree students in Israel - goal

achieved.

There was also significant increase of about 115% over these years among doctoral students so that 759 Arab

students in 2017 versus just 349 students in 2007 - goal close to being achieved.


Page | 18


Multiyear Perspective - An analysis of Arab students by degree

Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree Doctoral Degree Total

2006-2007 19,761 2,421 349 22,531

2007-2008 21,534 2,654 355 24,543

2008-2009 21,142 2,855 380 24,377

2009-2010 22,268 3,270 413 25,951

2010-2011 24,346 4,243 457 29,046

2011-2012 25,843 4,847 467 31,157

2012-2013 28,481 5,233 511 34,225

2013-2014 30,969 5,692 556 37,217

2014-2015 33,571 6,165 615 40,351

2015-2016 35,963 6,929 624 43,516

2016-2017 37,441 8,197 694 46,332

2017-2018 39,160 8,708 759 48,627

The increase in the integration of Arab students is the result of a comprehensive holistic program

implemented by the Planning and Budgeting Committee for students from high school through

advanced degrees.

The Rowad Program has been implemented at high schools in approximately 45 town clusters and helps students

discover academia as well as receive information, advice, and direction in addition to help with relevant courses

(such as psychometric exam prep), tours of academic institutions, and a higher education fair in which various

institutions located in towns participated. Furthermore, preparatory programs include support programs

specifically helping the Arab sector that have language tutoring (Hebrew and English) as well as academic,

financial, and social tutoring.

Career centers geared toward the Arab sector were established at academic institutions and 800 students in every

class receive the Iretka scholarship. The scholars are selected on the basis of socioeconomic status and preferred

fields of study. The scholarship is good for their entire course of degree studies.


Page | 19


The Planning and Budgeting Committee also encourages academic excellence and grants merit scholarships to

Arab students for advanced degrees, including master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, and post-doctoral degrees as

well as support for the hiring of excellent faculty members from the Arab sector.

Maof scholarships and hiring of excellent faculty members from the Arab sector

The Planning and Budgeting Committee has granted about 51 scholarships worth approximately NIS 48 million

to excellent faculty members from the Arab sector from 2010 to 2018. These are scholarships for young,

exceptional Arab scientists who are citizens of the State of Israel. The purpose of the scholarship is to enable

those who receive it to become a part of the higher education system - universities and colleges - funded by the

Planning and Budgeting Committee. The institutions commit to hiring the scholars as full time faculty members

upon completion of the scholarship term.

Gateway to the Academy program to make higher education more accessible to Bedouin students

from the Negev

The Gateway to the Academy program ran at Sapir College as a pilot program for three years and due to its

success was expanded in the 2018-2019 school year to another four academic institutions in the Negev: Ben-

Gurion University, The Open University, Achva Academic College, and Ashkelon Academic College. A total

of NIS 200 million was allocated for three classes with most of the money coming from the Planning and

Budgeting Committee and the rest from the Finance Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, and the Education

Ministry.

The Gateway to the Academy program provides a holistic solution to the unique needs of Bedouin students

through a separate preparatory year that gives the students practical academic experience and extensive

support so that they make as smooth a transition as possible into bachelor’s degree studies in a range of

preferred academic tracks. The support is gradually decreased as students progress toward the completion of

their degree and includes linguistic, academic, personal, social, cultural, and financial support in order to make

it easier for them to become a part of the academic sphere and to help them successfully complete their

programs of study. A goal of having an 75% increase in the number of first-year bachelor’s degree Bedouin

students was set so that there will be at least 1,500 Bedouin students by 2022 (versus 854 first-year students

in 2016).


Page | 20


Making higher education accessible to Arabs from East Jerusalem

In accordance with government resolutions on the matter, the Planning and Budgeting Committee set a goal

of doubling the number of new students over the next five years from East Jerusalem beginning their first-

year of study for a bachelor’s degree from 300 students in 2017-2018 to 600 students by 2022-2023. In

addition, an increase of about 75% is expected in the number of students in preparatory programs, from 400

students in 2016-2017 to 700 students in 2022-2023. Most students from East Jerusalem have been studying

to become teachers and the goal is to open up more tracks of study to them, including in STEM. The multiyear

budget approved for the program's implementation is estimated to be about NIS 260 million, of which NIS

170 million will come from the Planning and Budgeting Committee and NIS 90 million will come from the

Finance Ministry.

The number of Druze students has doubled over the last decade

The number of Druze students has more than doubled over the last decade and has reached 4,865 students

in 2017-2018 versus approximately 2,300 in 2007-2008. A total of 3,806 pursued a bachelor’s degree, 963

pursued a master’s degree, 66 pursued a doctorate, and 30 pursued a certificate (associate degree). About 42%

of Druze students studied at universities, 43% at colleges, and 14% at teachers' colleges. Women made up two

thirds of Druze students in 2017-2018 as compared with 60% of the overall population.

B. Encouragement and cultivation of academic excellence of students from the

Ethiopian community

The multiyear plan set a goal of increasing the number of bachelor’s degree students who come from the

Ethiopian community so that they make up about 1.7% of the student body, similar to their percentage of

Israel's overall population. That would mean that there would be an increase of 40% in the number of students

from the Ethiopian community pursuing a bachelor’s degree, from some 2,500 to about 3,500 within five

years.

The program will provide support to students from the Ethiopian community in preparatory tracks and students

pursuing a bachelor’s degree by helping them with tutoring, admission test prep, paying for room and board,

transportation, etc. The number of Hesegim program coordinators will be increased so that higher education

can be made more accessible to the ten towns with the highest concentrations of people from the Ethiopian


Page | 21


community. The coordinators' job will be to find the right young people, direct them toward academia, and

help them choose a field of study.

In addition, a central element of the program being pushed by the steering committee is the encouragement of

excellence and leadership in all tracks of study, from bachelor’s degrees to master’s degrees, doctorates, and

to academics from the Ethiopian community being hired as faculty at institutions of higher education. The

program will allow the Ethiopian community to be highlighted from a point of excellence and to allow for the

realization of the students' academic and social potential.

C. From a multiyear perspective - Making higher education more accessible to the

Haredi community

The Council for Higher Education and the Planning and Budgeting Committee have been dedicating much

effort and many resources in order to make higher education more accessible to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox)

community and to incorporate it into the professional world in Israel and into Israeli society. These efforts

rely on two guiding principles: 1. Recognition of the unique aspects of the Haredi community; 2. Integrating

into academia those Haredim who wish to do so while respecting their way of life and properly

accommodating their needs and aspirations.

The Macharim program to expand the accessibility of higher education to the Haredi community was

established in 2011. A total of 15 academic frameworks geared toward the Haredi community were established

across the country in a wide range of academic tracks.

The Council for Higher Education/the Planning and Budgeting Committee worked between 2015-2017 to put

together a multiyear plan for 2016-2017 - 2021-2022 to expand the Haredi community's accessibility to higher

education and the plan was approved by the Council for Higher Education in May 2017. The new program

continued the development of the existing Macharim programs while making integration at regular campuses

possible either through separate classes or in the regular classes. The first pilot program for reviewing these

tracks began about a year ago at a number of academic institutions. Emphasis was also placed on a program

for disciplines in high demand overall and for the Haredi community in particular, including hi-tech and

training teachers for Haredi society, with a focus on core disciplines (math, English, science).

The total number of Haredi students enrolled at institutions of higher education in 2017-2018 stood at more

than 13,000 students: about 10,000 bachelor’s degree students, about 1,200 master’s students, and about 2,000

in preparatory programs versus a total of 6,000 Haredi students who had been enrolled in 2010-2011 across


Page | 22


the board. The goal for 2022 is 19,000 students. The total budget allocation for the multiyear plan (six years)

stands at approximately NIS 1.2 billion.

5. The new campus vision - A transition to digital and active learning

The campuses at institutions of higher education are the center at research begets knowledge that is passed on

to the students. The internet revolution that allows easy access to sources of knowledge and for knowledge to

be passed on to others requires the academic system to deal with it in some way and for changes to be made

to research and instruction in the new era. The vision of the "new campus" would include changes in a number

of areas with the objective of creating a new and upgraded academic experience in the near future through

digital, active learning while allowing academia to become part of industry and to make a change to the library

model.

A. Digital learning - Tools for accessibility and improving the quality of education

The era of the internet has allowed for access to many areas of knowledge through digital means that are not

necessarily a formal classroom. In order to prepare for the changes stemming from this reality, digital courses

have become an effective way of improving the quality of education and the educational experience as well

as a way of making education more accessible.

In order to become a part of this global revolution, a connection was forged between the edX Project, backed

by Harvard, MIT, and the State of Israel through a national initiative called Digital Israel at the Ministry for

Social Equality. The connection permits academic institutions in Israel to place courses appearing under the

caption IsraelX on the international edX platform. Additionally, edX assisted in establishing an Israeli

platform – Campus – on which courses at Israeli academic institutions may also be made accessible.

The Planning and Budgeting Committee/ Council for Higher Education have worked as partners in these

processes through a series of calls for proposals to provide monetary support for the production of digital

courses in accordance with the stringent and advanced global edX norms.

Two calls for proposals for the funding of 19 courses for the international platform and two calls for proposals

for the funding of 60 courses for the national platform have gone out so far. Meanwhile, the Council for Higher

Education has been working to find the right balance between digital and formal learning over the next few

years.


Page | 23


B. Active Learning - The establishment of centers for entrepreneurship and

innovation on campuses

The "new campus" is intended to allow students to take part in active learning while turning the academic

institution into a place where breakthrough pioneering ideas could be realized. In order to do so, centers for

entrepreneurship and innovation will be established on campuses at which students from various disciplines

can receive entrepreneurship training and can work together with lecturers and researchers along with the

assistance of professional mentors to move forward important projects of significance to society, the economy,

health, and more. The entrepreneurship centers will utilize the campus to create an innovative ecosystem that

encourages creativity, that brings down barriers, and connects academia to industry.

To promote that, the Planning and Budgeting Committee has put out a call to action to academic institutions

to establish entrepreneurship centers. The names of the winning institutions will be announced at the Higher

Education Conference that will be held in November 2018.

C. Turning libraries into social and knowledge centers

The unique environment of academic libraries, like all of academia, brings up challenges that must be met in

order to make it appropriate for the new campus. The transition from books, catalogs, and periodicals to

knowledge that is primarily based in digital media and the transition from private, individualized study in a

quiet space during the hours that the library is open to an ecosystem of collaborative study in teams throughout

all hours of the day requires a change in academic libraries.

The academic libraries on the new campus will serve as incubators of creativity by making quality information

(analog and digital) accessible, by their ability to be a physical center for people to meet

(librarians/information scientists, students, lecturers, and researchers from a range of disciplines), and by

instilling advanced digital scholarship. The academic library must be contemporary and relevant in its services

and content, must operate as a digital information center and as a group learning center, and must be serve as

a center for social and cultural activity. It is in this way that an academic experience different from the

individualistic experience that had been customary at the "classic" academic library will be created, an

experience based on a pleasant work environment that invites people to enter the library and spend time there.


Page | 24


6. More powerful research - Budgets, academic publications, and procuring research

grants

Significant increase in research grant budgets and upgrading and development of

research infrastructure - investment of approximately NIS 1.5 billion in the 2018-2019

academic year

Research Funds

The research funds provided by the Planning and Budgeting Committee are the backbone of basic competitive

research in the State of Israel. In the multiyear plan for the 2016-2017 through 2021-2022 academic years,

there is a significantly increased Planning and Budgeting Committee budget whose purpose is to permit

institutions in general and researchers in particular to focus on delving into their research and attaining

significant academic achievements while maintaining and promoting Israel's scientific standing around the

world. In this context, we emphasize that according to the Shanghai Ranking (2018), the Hebrew

University and the Technion are ranked in the list of the 100 best universities in the world.

A Multiyear View – the Planning and Budgeting Committee's Participation in

Research Funds, in Millions of New Israel Shekels

2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019

772 897 988 1,233

A gradual increase of 40% in the Israel Science Foundation budget

The multiyear plan to boost research infrastructure includes a gradual increase of 40% in the Israel Science

Foundation budget. The foundation's core budget will come to approximately NIS 570 million a shekel a year

by 2021-2022 at the conclusion of the multiyear plan. These budgetary additions have been allocated toward

objectives that include an increase in the number of grants issued, an increase in research grants, and greater

incentivization for projects such as studies conducted with international partners.


Page | 25


An increase in the NSF-BSF program budget

The NSF-BSF program began in 2013 with the goal of encouraging joint US-Israeli collaborative scientific

research programs. This is a prestigious program that issues grants to a series of fields of study, including

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), natural and life sciences, earth and environmental

science, economics, psychology, and more.

A gradual increase of about 60% in the NSF-BSF program is expected over the next few years so that the

multiyear plan (2021-2022) will come to a tune of NIS 38 million. The increase in the program's budget will

allow for a significant increase in the number of research grants funded by the foundation, an expansion in the

range of fields covered by the program, and a boost in US-Israeli collaboration in the sciences.

An increase in the Horizon 2020 budget

The EU's Horizon 2020 program began in 2014 and will continue until 2020. The program is expected to have

a budget of EUR 77 billion for a period of seven years beginning in 2014. Israel's part of the European research

and development plan was determined by Israel's GDP in relation to the European GDP (which includes Israel)

and is funded as such: Planning and Budgeting Committee - 50%; Economy Ministry - 35%; Science Ministry

- 10%; other relevant ministries - 5%.

There has been an increase in Israel's GDP relative to the total European GDP. The scope of the European

program was also expanded. As a result, the state has been asked to significantly increase its funding of the

program, which means that the number of bodies funding the program will also increase. Therefore, the

Planning and Budgeting Committee's part in the funding of the program has grown from about NIS 330 million

in 2016 (implementation) to about NIS 520 million in 2019 (budget).

The multiyear plan for the formation and upgrade of research infrastructure with

about NIS 870 million in total investment

The importance of research infrastructure to the ability to conduct quality research that is at the forefront of

global science is not in question. The current multiyear plan for 2017-2022 has highlighted the matter as one

of its main objectives and has allocated additional resources specifically toward it. The total investment in the

formation and upgrade of research infrastructure in the multiyear plan has reached a total of NIS 870 million

as follows:


Page | 26


1. The multiyear plan includes budgetary allocations for the establishment and upgrading of research

infrastructures at research universities in the scope of about NIS 460 million, which includes:

o Grants for equipment for new researchers who have not yet spent three years at the university.

o Grants for equipment for mid-career researchers who have spent 10-20 years in the system. The

program will help exceptional researchers with this kind of experience to refurbish their labs and to

fully maximize their scientific potential.

o Institutional equipment grants - expensive equipment that will serve the research needs of a large

group of users managed by the institution.

o Grants for the recruitment and employment of professional human resources to handle

institutional research infrastructure

o Research grants issued to make infrastructure centers more accessible to researchers and defray the

costs of using them, which are too high for Israeli grants to accommodate

2. A plan to upgrade teaching and research infrastructure at institutions of higher education at a tune of

NIS 410 million: the universities' part in this budget is estimated to be NIS 230 million and the colleges'

part is estimated to be NIS 180 million.

Boosting flagship research programs: Placing Israel at the forefront

The current multiyear plan includes special research infrastructure systems that are at the top of the agenda of

global research and are of very great importance at a national level. These are flagship programs that include

personal medical care, quantal science and technology, data science, and the humanities. The Planning and

Budgeting Committee’s multiyear budget allocation for these programs stands at NIS 500 million.

Personalized Medicine

The research program for personalized medicine (PM) will permit Israeli researchers to promote broad studies

based on in-depth analyses of the medical and genetic data of thousands of volunteers. Research in the field

will promote an in-depth understanding of human biology and the mechanisms involved in human diseases,

will assist in accelerating the rate of discovery and potential implementation of new treatment modalities, and


Page | 27


will establish Israel as a groundbreaker located at the forefront of global science in the field of personalized

medicine.

Quantum Science and Technology

A significant and consistent investment of the national level in developing the field of quantum science and

technology, particularly in developing research infrastructures and increasing the number of researchers –

research staff and students – engaging in this field, is expected to result in a significant leap in Israeli research

abilities and Israel's global status at the forefront of global knowledge in the field.

The development of quantum science and technology relies on an understanding of the interaction between

individual degrees of freedom of the system (for example, individual atoms and photons) and the development

of the required technology to control them. These abilities will permit and in part, already permit, establishing

stronger computing systems than exist today, unbreakable encrypted communications, simulating complex

systems which cannot be computed using existing means, sensors with far higher sensitivity than common

methods, development of materials with unique characteristics, and more.

Data Science

The field of data science refers to the collection, management, processing, analysis, and visualization of data

associated with a wide range of academic disciplines and commercial applications. The last few years, the

field has undergone increased and accelerated growth with commensurate financial investment both from

industry as well as universities and private research institutions. The reasons for the development of this field

are the significant growth in the quantity and availability of data generated around the world (to the point of

utilizing the term "big data"), in the continued development of methods, algorithms, and technologies which

are available to analyze data, and developments in dedicated data communications, storage, and processing

hardware.

Data science touches upon almost all fields of the academic world and have inherent potential for innovation

and breakthroughs not just in the exact sciences but rather social sciences and the humanities as well. There

is no doubt that advancing the field will result in a leap in academic ranking in terms of teaching and research

in a large number of disciplines and will contribute to the State of Israel's national resilience in terms of

economy and security.


Page | 28


7. A Multiyear View – A significant increase in procuring research grants and putting out

academic publications

Increased procurement of research grants

In the last decade, one sees a sharp increase of approximately 125% in the total awarding of competitive

research grants, the decided majority of which (approximately 80%) are awards of grants by the Israel Science

Foundation and the European R&D foundation. This, as compared to only a slight increase in the awarding of

research grants from other sources. The highest total of awards is in the fields of medicine and life sciences

and has been maintained over time. However, the most significant increase in percentages is in the fields of

engineering, mathematics, and computer science, where the total awards have increased by a factor of 3.5

since 2004.

Comment: In 2016-2017, there was a change in the manner in which research funds were awarded, because of which

there was a mostly technical decrease in the total awards.

Source: Processing by the Planning and Policy Division of institutions' reports of awards of competitive and other

research grants.

81

109119

177

268248

266

5870

8393

10685 90

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

$mAwards of Competitive Research and Other Funds in Universities – Two Year

Average (Millions of dollars, current prices)

-ממוצע זכיות -קרנות תחרותיות M$

-ממוצע זכיות -קרנות אחרות M$

Competitive Funds - Average Award - $M

Other Funds - Average Awards - $M


Page | 29


Increased Academic Publications

The number of academic publications by researchers at research universities increased by approximately 18%

during the last decade where, after a number of years in which there was a decrease in the number of

publications, we now see a reversal of this trend and an accelerated increase in publications in the last several

years. The number of "weighted" publications, meaning, the relative weight of the researcher in writing the

article out of the total participating in its writing demonstrates collaboration between researchers from

different departments and different institutions, has also increased, if to a lesser degree. On average,

approximately one quarter of the academic publications by Israeli researchers are in collaboration with other

researchers from abroad. This trend has been more or less fixed during the last 5 years.

Source: The Szold Institute

12,030

10,994

10,14010,207

7,0656,486

6,1916,396

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

12,000

13,000

201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005

Academic Publications that Research Universities

"ברוטו"פרסומים Weightedפרסומים משוקללים PublicationsNet Publications

the higher education system celebrates the 60th …...stabilized and decelerated over the last few...

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